With bistros, bouchons, bakeries and exquisite fine dining, Quebec City is a food lover's dream

The capital of cuisine

An oyster appetizer is plated at Panache, which bridges modern and Old World styles.

Photograph by: Auberge St-Antoine

In the province of Quebec, Montreal hogs a lot of the foodie spotlight. Read through Top 10 lists of where to eat, and chances are there will be eight restaurants in Montreal, two in Quebec City, and good luck to anyone who falls in between. But spend a little time dining around the provincial capital, and you’re sure to walk away impressed. On the restaurant scene, Quebec City holds its own in comparison to Montreal. And in many ways, it might even be better.

After two recent visits up the Trans-Canada to wine and dine my way around several of Quebec’s finest tables, I started thinking that our friends to the northeast have a lot going on food-wise. Though Quebec City is a hot tourist destination, Montreal still draws more travellers: In 2011, Quebec City welcomed about 4.5 million tourists, whereas Montreal drew 8.3 million. But when you consider its size (Montreal has three times the population), Quebec City boasts the higher tourist traffic. Does that translate into a more vibrant restaurant scene? Perhaps.

Using restaurant-critic criteria in comparing one city to another, it’s interesting to see how often Quebec City restaurants appear to be coming out on top. Of course, taste is subjective, from the flavour of the dishes to the seasoning of the confit de canard. But there is no denying that in several circumstances, Quebec City is going gangbusters.

First, the restaurants here are gorgeous. I can’t think of many establishments in Montreal as stunning as the plush, curved dining room at Laurie Raphaël, or the warm and rustic Panache in the Auberge St-Antoine, with its beamed ceiling and stone walls. There’s also a noticeable pride in the use of local ingredients in Quebec City — which, to be fair, is shared by Montreal chefs. Yet in Quebec City, I enjoyed dishes made with ingredients unique to the region, ate more local cheese, and saw more producers’ names included in menu descriptions. Perhaps it’s considered a bit passé in Montreal to name the farmers you work with on your menu, but seeing it in Quebec City made me long to see it again here.

Quebec City is garnering a lot of buzz for all the so-called “cool” restaurants, where the term “laid-back” may be an understatement. At eateries like L’Affaire est Ketchup, there are only 20 seats, the food is prepared right in front of you in an open kitchen, the mood is relaxed and it’s all casual fun. Step up into the world of bistros, and you’ll find reliable classics like L’Échaudé, the equivalent of Montreal’s L’Express. Then there are the newcomers like the wonderful Le Bouchon du pied bleu, where there’s an open kitchen (open kitchens are big in Quebec City, rare in Montreal) and the dishes are served sharing-style on antique plates and platters.

The wine scene in Quebec City is also going strong, and though the prices seem steeper than in Montreal, the selection is just as driven by rare private imports, natural wines and big-name bottles. There’s also a great selection of wine bars where off-duty sommeliers hang out, like Petits creux & grands crus on Cartier Ave., Le Moine Échanson up on busy St-Jean St., or Le Cercle on the too-cool-for-school St-Joseph St., right across from that most branché of bistros, Le Café du clocher penché.

Between the two cities, I would give Montreal the extra points for creativity. I didn’t find any restos with as much brazen wackiness as Au Pied de cochon, the fresh old-school approach of Joe Beef, the sharp Italian cuisine of Impasto or Graziella, or the intricate and artistic sushi of Antonio Park. And I am told by several Quebec City chefs that their customers tend to be conservative, with one going so far as to say she could not serve a whole fish at the table. And let’s face facts: Most of the food here is solidly focused on the French cuisine canon, which leaves me wondering whether lovers of upscale ethnic food are well served.

That said, Quebec City offers a style of cuisine that is all but extinct in Montreal: true-blue fine dining. It boasts three of the Canadian Automobile Association’s five-diamond awards, of only six in the country. To give you an idea of how impressive that is, New York counts only seven, and Montreal counts none. The restaurants in question are La Tanière, Le Patriarche and a long-standing favourite of mine, L’Initiale.

A meal enjoyed at L’Initiale a few weeks ago made me rethink the casual wave that has hit Montreal’s high-end dining scene. As refreshing as it was to ditch the pretentious service, remove the white tablecloths and make sure there was real food on the plate instead of an endless array of tuiles, foams, jellies, swirls and smears of sauces, we may have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

An excitingly precise and delicious meal at L’Initiale had me thinking that it was time to maybe bring back some of the old-school manners and technique-driven cuisine to raise the gastronomic experience above the protein-heavy, noisy, overly familiar and proudly unsophisticated norm that has taken over many restaurants of late.

Quebec City seems to have more restaurants dedicated to serving customers in the more formal European style. And happily, the food lives up to the pomp.

Quebec City also has some big chef news on the horizon. As of March, Stéphane Modat will be taking over the stoves at the renovated Château Frontenac. The former chef at the city’s brilliant but now defunct L’Utopie, Modat also collaborated with sommelier and author François Chartier on several of his food and wine pairing books. At the new restaurant, Champlain Cuisine Découverte, Modat is sure to pull out all the stops to create a cuisine on par with this iconic hotel. I can hardly wait.

In the meantime, here are a few solid recommendations to get a taste of foodie Quebec City.

L’Initiale is Quebec City’s top restaurant. A case could be made for this Relais & Châteaux being Canada’s best restaurant, too. Owned by chef Yvan Lebrun and maîtresse d’ Rolande Leclerc, this 40-seat establishment is the epitome of understated chic. Some may consider it a bit too conservative, but I enjoyed this serene room, where tables are well spaced, table linens are starched and the staff is incredibly sharp. As for the food, expect perfection, but not in the dull sense of the word. This is modern haute French cuisine, beautifully presented, made with pristine ingredients and full of flavour. Everything was impeccable at a recent meal, from the homemade onion bread to the warm poached lobster to the braised cauliflower to the veal tongue to the arlette with pineapples and Quebec saffron. And the wine service, provided by sommelière Isabelle Beaudoin, was beyond reproach. Any grand occasion would be celebrated in style here, and budget diners take note: There’s a $22 menu at lunch.

Located in the posh Relais & Châteaux property Auberge St-Antoine, Panache has long been considered one of Quebec City’s top tables. Upon entering, one feels transported to a chic hotel in Paris, Germany or London, primarily because of the history of the building: It was constructed as a warehouse in the Old Port in 1840. Today, the modern-meets-Old World style of the restaurant creates a magical setting for a truly gastronomic experience. The food emphasizes local produce and is served in the modern French style without even approaching overly precious territory. Service is solicitous, and the wine pairings are not only well thought-out, but surprisingly adventurous for a restaurant this fancy.

Daniel Vézina is about as famous as a chef gets in this province, and with restaurants in both Montreal and Quebec City, he covers plenty of ground. A cookbook author and host of the popular Radio-Canada show Les Chefs, Vézina is often away from his restaurants; that’s why his son Raphaël has taken over his Quebec City kitchen. Laurie Raphaël is a fun restaurant with gastronomic aspirations and a strong creative drive (be prepared for a few molecular-cuisine-driven dishes), but still manages to feel relaxed and fun. The use of local ingredients is a given, as Vézina — like his buddy Normand Laprise — is responsible for discovering many of the province’s top suppliers. A great choice for those looking for thrills on the plate as much as happening ambience.

L’Échaudé is a great choice for a casual dinner or fast lunch, as prices are not high, the room is usually bustling and the cuisine is straightforward — and delicious — French fare. After 9 p.m., there’s a 21 per cent discount on everything, and at lunchtime, you can eat well for about $20. Opened in 1984, this Quebec City classic is still a favourite, not only for its French film ambience, but for its excellent wine list, filled with bistro-food-friendly bottles available at many price points.

This year-old establishment made EnRoute’s Top 10 list of the best new restaurants in Canada, and I can see why. Located in the St-Roch district, Pied Bleu started off as a catering outfit and expanded last year to serve French cuisine bourgeoisie, bouchon style, which means presented in large bowls and plates that go from table to table. Owners Thania Goyette and chef Louis Bouchard Trudeau are on site — he in the open kitchen, she working the room, carrying the blackboard menu from table to table or serving up their scrumptious cassoulet, croque monsieur, blood pudding, cabbage rolls and so much more. I loved the relaxed ambience, friendly staff and pitch-perfect French food. If I lived in the area, I’d be here all the time.

I enjoyed this huge bakery space, with its long communal tables, high ceilings, bright lights and crowds of locals coming in for a bite of breakfast. But what I especially liked were the flaky croissants, mega cookies, breads and good coffee. For those who prefer to skip the same ol’ bacon and eggs and hit the road, this is a great spot for a quick breakfast. They also make a bread shaped as Bonhomme Carnaval. How great is that?

A long-standing dinner favourite, this hip bistro has become my go-to brunch spot in Quebec City because the dishes, though copious, are just so scrumptious. This is brunch food that can be enjoyed with a cocktail or bottle of wine. There’s a tartiflette made with duck confit, there’s a grilled bagel topped with scrambled eggs, smoked mackerel and spicy bacon, and then there’s my favourite: poached egg set atop buckwheat waffles, with mushrooms, brie, béchamel sauce and sautéed potatoes. The coffee is great, too, as is the people-watching.

I first met sommelier Bertrand Mesotten, one of the partners of this great little wine bar, back when he worked at Montreal’s Laloux and later at Quebec City’s L’Utopie. He always had the weirdest and most wonderful wines on hand, and his passion for fun vinos continues at this bare-bones wine bar, where you pull up an old schoolroom chair and get drinking. The wines, most imported by Mesotten’s agency, are eclectic and the menu is French rustic, along the lines of rillettes, terrines, onion soup, choucroute, Alsatian tart with foie gras and a cheese fondue made with Munster. Wow. This restaurant is small and very popular, and with such an interesting wine program, it is not to be missed by even the novice wine drinker, who is sure to make many discoveries here (and eat a lot of cheese).

Dreaming about old-school French cuisine, as in garlic snails, lobster bisque, mushroom feuilletés, Châteaubriand, foie gras and pepper steak flambéed tableside? If so, this is the restaurant for you. Complete with tuxedoed waiters mixing up salads for two in the dining room, chafing dishes galore and an expansive digestif selection, this retro French restaurant is a throwback to a time when everyone who ate in a fancy restaurant ate French, ate rich, and finished off their supper with crêpes Suzette. As much as I’d like to recommend Le Continental to the over-60 set, I’d take my kids here to show them how a night at a fancy restaurant used to be.

Quebec City can get a lot of tourist traffic in the summer — and of course during the Winter Carnival — so be sure to book a room well in advance. I always stay at the centrally located Hôtel Le Germain-Dominion in the Old City, which is within walking distance of almost every restaurant on my list. Parking in Quebec City can be very difficult, so I suggest either travelling to the capital by train (the hotel is walking distance from the station as well) or putting your car in a lot for the duration of your stay. The reason I always choose the Germain-Dominion, one of Quebec City’s first boutique hotels, is that the rooms are chic, modern and spacious. An excellent breakfast is included in the price of the room (croissants are from Paillard) and the concierges know more about the restaurant scene in their city than anyone I know. They also carry all the menus for you to peruse before choosing, and can book tables for you. The only problem is that this hotel is so cosy, you won’t want to leave your room.

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